Horses have been one of the most useful animals for man for thousands of years. At one time horses provided man with the fastest and most effective means of land transportation. While long since replaced by trains, automobiles, trucks and motorcycles as a means of land transportation, horses are still used by thousands of people for recreation, sport and work. Horses are ridden by adults and children alike for fun and exercise. Horses perform at rodeos, circuses, parades, horse shows and race tracks. They are used by ranchers to herd cattle and other livestock and may be used to pull plows and wagons and do other farm work.
In any of these tasks and uses, the horse is controlled by means of a bridle. The bridle consists of (1) a bit, such as a horizontal metal bar placed in the mouth of the horse, (2) a series of straps known as the headstall that fit about the head of the horse and hold the bit in position and (3) reins that are held in the hand of the rider or driver and used to control the horse. More specifically, the reins are connected to either side of the bit and are used to communicate with and direct the animal.
In order to maximize both the comfort of the horse and rider control, a bit should be selected that is of a length substantially corresponding to the width of the mouth of the horse. A bit that is too short will simply not be properly received in the mouth of the horse. A bit that is too long may lead to injury and often will fail to provide the best "signal" to the horse when the reins are manipulated and, hence, there is some compromise in rider control.
In the past, a trial and error method has been used to fit a horse for a bit. Specifically, a bridle with a bit of a certain size is selected and properly positioned on the horse. If the bit proves to be too short or too long, that bridle may be removed and the bit is replaced with a shorter or longer size as necessary. This procedure may have to be repeated several times to identify a bit of proper width for the horse. It should be appreciated that this is a time consuming and inconvenient procedure. The present invention seeks to simplify this process.